This invention relates to improvements in sugar cane harvesters.
A well known type of cane harvester has a base cutter to cut the cane stalks near to ground level, and a feed conveyor to carry the cut cane stalks, butt ends first, rearwardly and upwardly through the harvester to a chopping cutter, which chops the cane stalks into billets and delivers them to an elevator which elevates and discharges them to be received in a bin drawn behind, or to the rear and one side of, the harvester. Since it is very undesirable that leafy material should be delivered with the cane billets, an extractor fan device is provided at the head of the elevator to carry this material away.
Cane is usually harvested mechanically after being burnt-off to eliminate excess leafy material, and with a minimum delay because fairly soon after burning-off, the cane commences to deteriorate significantly in quality. Unexpected rain may cause the harvesting to be postponed with the result that the cane, when harvested, has dropped in quality and value. Even when cane is harvested shortly after burning-off, its sugar content is likely to be lower than if it were harvested green. Although the advantages in harvesting green or unburnt cane are recognized, harvesters made have generally been unsatisfactory in eliminating the very considerable amount of leafy matter before the billets are discharged.